Elijah Cooks

Career StatsD+

Year	Team	GP	Rec	Yards	TD
Career		9	3	38	—
2025		2	2	14	0
2024		2	—	—	—
2023		9

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Elijah Cooks drew a C on the Contract Value Index — a calibrated read on the New Orleans Saints' cap allocation at wide receiver. A $1.005M one-year deal paired with a D+ performance grade and an F sentiment grade reflects a player whose on-field production has not justified even a bargain-bin contract commitment; the 2025 season stats tell the story plainly — 14 receiving yards across 2 games — which underscores his inability to develop into a reliable option across three professional seasons. At the wide receiver position, even minimum-salary depth pieces are expected to offer some positional versatility or special teams value; Cooks' release by New Orleans as part of their post-draft roster restructuring signals the Saints' own personnel staff concluded he offered neither. His age (27) and third-year career stage place him squarely in the window where developmental upside has dried up and proven production becomes the only remaining argument for retention — and that argument does not exist here. The media framing around his waiver designation is unambiguous: this was an organizational cleanse, not a scheme fit issue or an opportunity-scarcity problem, and unless a team claims him off waivers and immediately integrates him into a defined role, Cooks faces an NFL future that is functionally over. The Contract Value Index grade of C reflects the reality that even a $1M salary is poorly allocated against replacement-level production, and his current market value — sitting at its lowest point — offers no margin for error going forward.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Elijah's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Elijah Cooks grades a D+ performance mark, with his limited production anchoring the read. A third-year receiver with just 14 receiving yards across 2 games in the 2025 season, Cooks has failed to establish himself as a reliable contributor at the professional level—three career receptions and 38 receiving yards total across two NFL seasons underscore his inability to carve out a meaningful role. His minimal snap opportunities and near-total absence of offensive involvement represent the core weakness: he is not generating production because he is not getting chances, a dynamic that reflects both scheme fit concerns and organizational confidence issues. With just two games of 2025 action before his release, Cooks never had the opportunity to demonstrate sustained viability, leaving him in a replacement-level holding pattern with no trajectory to build on. The Saints' post-draft restructuring—which shed Cooks alongside other depth pieces while simultaneously adding defensive help—frames his departure as a straightforward organizational cleanse rather than a scheme-based casualty, stripping away any narrative redemption. At 27 years old in a third NFL season, Cooks is now a waiver claim fighting for relevance with his market value bottomed out and zero momentum on the field or in the media to suggest a turnaround is imminent.

How Elijah Compares at the Position

Elijah Cooks ranks 222nd of 295 graded wide receivers by performance. That slots Elijah between Brycen Tremayne (D+) just ahead and Mitchell Tinsley (D+) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Elijah Cooks sits at the absolute floor of public perception right now, with an F sentiment grade that reflects not just poor play but a near-total absence of positive narrative surrounding him at any level. Every headline attached to his name over the past two weeks centers on his release rather than any emerging role, developmental milestone, or organizational investment — when the only coverage a 27-year-old receiver generates is a waiver notice, the media verdict is as damning as it gets. That narrative is entirely consistent with his on-field production grade of D, and the 2025 season data — 14 receiving yards across 2 games — tells you everything you need to know about his inability to carve out a meaningful role at the NFL level across three seasons. The Saints' post-draft roster restructuring, which also shed Samori Toure and Evan Hull, frames Cooks' release as a straightforward organizational cleanse rather than a difficult decision, stripping away any possibility of a sympathetic "didn't fit the scheme" narrative that might otherwise offer a lifeline. New Orleans simultaneously adding bodies at defensive line and cornerback signals the front office is actively building forward, making Cooks' departure feel even more final. The bottom line is brutal: unless a team claims him off waivers and immediately gives him a defined role, Cooks is a replacement-level prospect fighting for NFL relevance with his market value at its lowest point and no momentum — on the field or in the media — to suggest a turnaround is coming.